Book Review: Opening: Lotus Hawk's Prayers & Meditations: Guiding Prayers for Any Day by Harriette "Lotus Hawk" Mandeville

Opening: Lotus Hawk's Prayers & Meditations: Guiding Prayers for Any Day by Harriette "Lotus Hawk" Mandeville

One really could not consider Opening: Lotus Hawk's Prayers & Meditations: Guiding Prayers for Any Day by Harriette "Lotus Hawk" Mandeville Christian.

It really isn’t anti-Christian, either. I doubt that one could pin any label on this collection of prayers and meditations.

This very short book is meant to help one reflect on their thoughts and feelings.

We are Fundamental/Charismatic Christians. We judge any book that claims to be spiritual in nature using that as our starting point. But, we also judge books by the value received for the price paid.

All things considered, we really cannot give Openings a rating higher than three stars. Many of the 68 pages of this book are blank (10 pages or 14%) with the understanding the reader will make notes on those pages. Several of the other pages are mostly blank.

We really cannot recommend Openings at all. The theology is all over the place. It is very polytheistic in nature.



We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

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PS Annie! is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
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Book Review: Souping Is The New Juicing: The Juice Lady's Healthy Alternative by Cherie Calbom MSN CN

Souping Is The New Juicing: The Juice Lady's Healthy Alternative by Cherie Calbom MSN CN

Very rarely does one see a nutrition book with a powerful message like Souping Is The New Juicing: The Juice Lady's Healthy Alternative by Cherie Calbom MSN CN.

This book starts out with a very engrossing story and then moves on to tell us more and more about soup. It isn’t just chock full of recipes; it also has a great deal of information about nutrition, food safety, and more.

We give Souping Is The New Juicing all five stars. We think it is an important book and a very easy to read book. There are stories about soup as a comfort food as well as instructions for making soup. It also has many recipes for easy to make soups. What are you waiting for? Order your copy today.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

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Book Review: Eat Cake. Be Brave. By Melissa Radke

Eat Cake. Be Brave. By Melissa Radke

Eat Cake. Be Brave. by Melissa Radke is totally hilarious. The author has a sense of humor that just won’t quit. She made me laugh, REALLY laugh.

It is also incredibly sad. I don’t mean just a little sad, but deep down in your soul sad. The kind that brings up tears that have been buried for so long you thought they’d gone. But, you know they haven’t because they are now soaking everything in sight.

I can relate to the life Melissa has lived in so many ways. Like, questioning Heavenly Father on why He’d give us a talent or desire, but put obstacles in our way that prevent us from fully realizing that talent or desire. Or, answering our prayers, and then taking our heart’s desire from us. I’ve been there, on both counts. It hurts.

People don’t make this life any easier, with their judgements of us. They judge us on something so shallow as our looks, not seeing that true beauty is what lies within us. They think we are unworthy to use our God-given talents because we aren’t one of the “beautiful people”.

Melissa is done playing that game. She tries to instill in us that it doesn’t matter what people say about us or how they judge us. Their thoughts about us don’t matter. What matters is what Heavenly Father thinks. He made us in His image and loves us, regardless of our physical attributes or lack thereof.

In the midst of all the laughter and the tears, Melissa’s message is clear: He doesn’t make junk. Don’t let other people control how you feel about yourself. He can use you in His kingdom. Live the life He gave you to live loud and proud, giving glory to Him.

And, most definitely, eat the cake! Don’t be afraid to be YOU!

We were sent a complimentary copy of Eat Cake. Be Brave. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.  

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: Atheism Kills: The Dangers of a World Without God – and Cause for Hope by Barak Lurie

Atheism Kills: The Dangers of a World Without God – and Cause for Hope by Barak Lurie

I really wish Atheism Kills: The Dangers of a World Without God – and Cause for Hope by Barak Lurie had been written back when I was in college.

If I had read this book back when I was in college, I would have had the information needed to stand my ground against college professors who took every opportunity to speak about what they called, “The Christian Myth”.

This book is incredibly well-researched and very well-written. The author is a former atheist who found enough credible evidence in his life to prove to his skeptical mind that God is real.

In the book, he talks about all the evil that has been committed in the world due to the lack of faith in God, or in any religion for that matter. He gives his readers information about the rise and fall of different civilizations and what caused the fall.

However, this book is very much like Fox News. It attempts to be fair and balanced. The facts are presented from both perspectives and both sides. The author does lean away from atheism, which is to be expected. He presents the facts that an atheist would use to present his case for atheism.

We give Atheism Kills all five stars. We think that all Judeo Christian churches should have a small group scripture study utilizing this book.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.


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Book Review: The Biggest Win: Pro Football Players Tackle Faith by Joshua Cooley

The Biggest Win: Pro Football Players Tackle Faith by Joshua Cooley

We live in a world where being a Christian is becoming harder and harder. We read about celebrities all the time who live a life of total sin.

The Biggest Win: Pro Football Players Tackle Faith by Joshua Cooley gives a very different story of a group of professional football players who have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ.

This is a truly inspiring story of a group of highly paid men, who are sitting on top of the celebrity world, who could have everything this sinful world has to offer.

Instead, these men have dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, their wives, and their families.

The Biggest Win tells the back story. The pain, the hurt, the heartache, the many losses, the disappointment of not making it in the draft. It also tells of ministry to children who have been a part of trafficking. They have also dedicated a part of their lives to making a difference in the lives of terminally ill children.

The Biggest Win is very well-written and tells an awesome story. You will laugh and cry. This would make a great text for a small group, youth Bible study. We give it all five stars.

We were sent a complimentary Advance Reading copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: Welcome to the Kingdom: How to Live a 21st Century Kingdom Life by Dana Carson

Welcome to the Kingdom: How to Live a 21st Century Kingdom Life by Dana Carson

Welcome to the Kingdom: How to Live a 21st Century Kingdom Life by Dana Carson is not a book for new Christians.

This is a very academic and, some would say, redundant book. The author goes into great detail about what words were used in the original text, their root words, their translations, and the significance of all of this.

The book is very detailed and might be considered to be a very dry read. There were points while reading this book that I felt the author had succeeded in beating a dead horse for quite some time.

However, for those Christians who are really seeking to sink their teeth into a Bible discussion, this is the book. It would make a great text for a somewhat advanced small group discussion.

We give Welcome to the Kingdom all five stars. We feel that if one can stay on track and follow the point Dr. Carson is attempting to make, they will benefit greatly from the experience.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.  

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: How the Spirit Shapes Prayer: Research findings for Traditional Christians By David S. Luecke

How the Spirit Shapes Prayer: Research findings for Traditional Christians

By David S. Luecke

 

This is a short book that takes a while to read.  The reason it takes a while to read is because it is both a report on an academic research project and a commentary on how effective prayer is.

How the Spirit Shapes Prayer: Research findings for Traditional Christians was written by a Lutheran Clergyman, David S. Luecke.  So, all the findings are from the Lutheran point of view.  

Almost all Holiness denominations have no question that prayer actually changes things.  The author seeks to provide the results of his research, along with his personal findings, regarding answered prayer, starting from the point of no preconceived notion one way or the other, regarding whether God still answers prayer or not.

The book is very well-written.  From the point of view that the author wanted to find out what Lutherans felt regarding prayer, the book was very well-researched. We give How the Spirit Shapes Prayer all five stars.

It would be interesting if Luecke were to continue his research and include other denominations.  This book would make a great gift for any Christian scholar on your list.

We were sent a complimentary copy of How the Spirit Shapes Prayer.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

 


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Book Review: My Journal: Remembering and Growing | A Biblical context to life’s journey, Edition 1, By Dan L. Bragg Ed-D

My Journal: Remembering and Growing | A Biblical context to life’s journey,  Edition 1

By Dan L. Bragg Ed-D

  

If you are struggling trying to find your purpose, you may want to take a one year journey with My Journal: Remembering and Growing| A Biblical context to life’s journey, Edition 1 by Dan L. Bragg Ed-D.

Bragg takes fellow travelers on a journey of discovery and growth by giving his readers inspiration to journal about their spiritual journey. Mr. Bragg is our tour guide as he challenges us to think and grow in our faith.

We think that churches may want to create a small Bible study class to come together once a week to discuss their journaling and uplift one another in prayer.

Whether you take this journey alone or with a group of fellow Christian friends, you will enjoy the devotions and learn much as you read and ponder the scriptures.

We found this devotional to be well-written and well-thought out.  We give My Journal: Remembering and Growing all five stars. Please be sure to visit Dan L. Bragg over at his blog Biblical Leadership Enterprise.

We were sent a complimentary  copy of My Journal: Remembering and Growing.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

 






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Book Review: One to One with God: With or Without Religion By Fabian N. Ukaegbu

One to One with God: With or Without Religion

By Fabian N. Ukaegbu

We have to say that One to One with God: With or Without Religion written Fabian N. Ukaegbu is probably one of the strangest books we have ever read.  

The introduction is 34 pages long.  The book pretty much rambles on like a manifesto that says a lot of everything while never actually getting to a point.

As we read this very long book, we found our eyes glossing over while we struggled to find any sense in what was being said.

If you are struggling with your faith, run away from this book as far as you can, as fast as you can.  This is not the book for anyone who is on the fence regarding what, if anything, they believe about God.

There are so many good books on just about any religion. One to One with God: With or Without Religion is not one of them, regardless of what religion you profess.

We hate to give any book that seeks to help others with their walk with God a zero.  But on our scale of zero to five stars, the only mark we can give it is a zero.

Notice: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: Amazing Adventures with Dev: His Voice, My Voice, Our Voice By Melody L. Boulton and Devon Allen Merritt

Amazing Adventures with Dev: His Voice, My Voice, Our Voice

By Melody L. Boulton and Devon Allen Merritt

We were given a copy of Amazing Adventures with Dev: His Voice, My Voice, Our Voice by Melody L. Boulton and Devon Allen Merritt in consideration of a review.

Amazing Adventures with Dev is the story of a mother and her second son, their lives together, and the loss of his life to a rare lung condition at the age of 23 years.

This book elicited some very strong emotional responses from me, especially as I tried to share some of the scenes with others.  Having also lost a child, I can understand the devastation, confusion, the questions...the endless “whys”. I can understand one wondering how one can possibly continue on without this child (regardless of age) in it any longer.  I cannot judge the way another parent processes their grief.  Grief can do strange things to a person and make a person do strange things.

Some parts of Amazing Adventures with Dev may seem strange or too “out there” to many.  It talks of reincarnation, how our souls are eternal beings, how life goes on after the death of the earthly body.  But, she is also delves into astrology and meeting with mediums and other things that I cannot relate to at all.  These things may be a turnoff to other Christians as well.  

There is no doubt this mother loves her son and always will.  I can understand never wanting to lose that relationship.  There is a strong, almost overwhelming feeling that this love has turned from parental love to worship.   I can understand intense love and I don’t doubt that our loved ones watch over us from the other side.  It seems, though, that she has made a deity of Devon.  This part of the book made me very uncomfortable.

Amazing Adventures with Dev is a book that will definitely make you think. It gives plenty to ponder.  However, unless you are very well-grounded in your faith, it may cause confusion, and may not be the book for you.  If you are strong in your faith, then you will likely find it interesting to ponder the questions that it brings up.  Shared with others, it can lead to enlightening discussions.

Because I believe that calling on mediums goes against the teachings of the Bible, I cannot give the book all five points on our one-to-five scale. This book is well-written, with only a few areas missed by a proofreader.  I will give it a four because one sign of a good book is that it elicits strong emotional responses and Amazing Adventures with Dev most definitely achieved that!

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Press Release: A Little Bit of Grace, A Spiritual Memoir by Divine Grace Buszka

In “A Little Bit of Grace, A Spiritual Memoir,” Divine Grace Buszka reveals true stories that prove the world is filled with magic and mystery – if you are willing to open your eyes on the roller coaster and just let go. Follow her journey through depression, financial collapse, motherhood and finding faith through self-awareness. Divine Grace’s practical and enlightening stories will inspire readers to move beyond fear to embrace the world with joy and curiosity.

From the dust jacket:

What would life be like if you had total faith in your instincts? If you knew they were the direct line to Source, Divinity, God? And that to learn to listen to them would align you with your happiest and most fulfilling life?

In A Little Bit of Grace, Divine Grace Buszka shares her lifelong quest to attain such knowledge and faith.

From a dramatic birth in a typhoon-whipped, rural town in the Philippines, to San Diego and to the South of France, we ride with Divine Grace on the rollercoaster of awareness and denial of one’s own power. Returning to what is essential – Self Love – guides her spiritual journey. In this “coming-of-wisdom” memoir, peppered with insight, we come to understand, “You cannot learn to love yourself if you’re unwilling to know yourself.”

Through stories of everyday life and out-of-this-world magic, we explore the duality of living as a spiritual being having a raw, human experience. Only by embracing this paradox does one reach ascension and enlightenment.

In reading A Little Bit of Grace, you will be greatly inspired by the lesson that you need only to look within. 

About the author: Divine Grace Buszka is a spiritual teacher, life coach, and energy healer. Her
life-long passion is spirituality and self-awareness. She hopes to empower others to live a life of
fulfillment and joy by transforming one’s self from being in a state of fear to a state of love. 


A Little Bit of Grace will be released on May 31.  Starting May 31, it will be available free on Kindle for three days.





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